NB: Please note that I LOVE my job and I wouldn't swap it for the world - this is a bit of light-hearted humour written to connect with other freelancers. Being a freelancer can be isolating, so just know that I’m here working through the same issues you are.

My friends think I am living the life. They work 9-5, with a lunch break, sick leave and holidays. They live in Australia and have weekends off. They see me, overseas, taking beautiful photos of sunsets and think that's it for me. That I don't work. That I do fun things all day.

I've received a total of 25 messages since I've left Australia in January that repeat the same thing... "You are living the dream, I'm so jealous". Now don't get me wrong, I am in a fantastic position that I don't take for granted. I am so thankful that I am able to do what I do, from where I am doing it. But... it's not what it all what it appears to be.

Yes, I am based overseas and during my spare time I get to explore beautiful places. BUT.... what spare time am I referring to? Most days look something like this:

• Start work at 8am
• Work through until 3pm (where I'm so hungry I physically cannot concentrate anymore)
• Half an hour for lunch
• Back to work until about 9pm

Yeah.... plenty of sight-seeing being done as you can tell. The plus for all this is that I'm living in cheap countries so I'm saving a fair bit of money. I try to have at least a half day off every four days so I can go do something fun.
This is the life of a freelancer that's just starting out - work is slow, I have very few contacts and need to market myself excessively to break into the industry. To be honest, I work more now than I ever did in Australia with a full-time job. Hell, I work more now than I did with two jobs in Australia.

The positives to this are my skills have improved drastically within the last two months. Not just in design either, I am a better writer, communicator, marketer and developer. I am excited to see what my portfolio looks like in another six months, to see what type of writer I am in twelve months time and to see what type of projects I'll be working on in two years time.

See, as much as I work (a lot) and it's tiring, there is this sense of satisfaction that I'm moving towards a tangible goal. I have defined my idea of success and every day I move one step closer to it. It makes the 12 hour days enjoyable (mostly) and the limited time off easy. I love working.

I love working because when I have some spare time I get to wander around a city that I don't know, meeting new people and experiencing new foods. If I didn't work so hard, I would not be able to live in other countries - it just wouldn't be realistic for the long term.

So to my lovely friends back in Australia - yes, I am living a life that is incredibly enjoyable and exciting. But not just because of the travel - it's because I love the work that I do. And that's the side they don't get to see.